19 Family-Friendly Kitchen Design Ideas

Breakfast nooks and central islands provide ample seating in these inviting family kitchens

The heart of the home, the kitchen is the one place where you’re sure to find family and friends cooking, eating, and enjoying each other’s company day in and day out. The secrets to family-friendly kitchens that bring everyone together: lots of room for mingling, an ample kitchen island—with a few comfortable stools—for chatting with the cook, and plenty of extra seating for when the meal is ready, such as a cozy banquette. Each of these 15 family kitchens from the AD archives has one or all of these inviting features, with open layouts to help the components blend seamlessly.

119

In this Carpinteria, California, kitchen, Verner Panton children’s chairs add a dash of color. The Tulip chairs and side table are Eero Saarinen designs.

Photo: Dominique Vorillon

219

There is plenty of space for a family to gather in this Brooklyn kitchen. The BassamFellows stools are from Design Within Reach, the sink and fittings are by Franke, the dining chairs are by Ligne Roset, and the photograph is by Martin Schoeller.

Photo: Richard Powers

319

In fashion designer Jenni Kayne’s Los Angeles home, the family can sit along a central island. The vintage French pendant fixtures are from Obsolete, and the stools are by DM/DM.

Photo: Roger Davies

419

The mahogany-veneer cabinetry and laminate counters are original to this Malibu, California, house, restored by BoydDesign. The eat-in kitchen allows the whole family to be together while dinner is being prepared.

Photo: Roger Davies

519

In the kitchen of this Manhattan home, the family can dine around a BDDW table with midcentury Italian chairs from Galerie Van den Akker or perch on the vintage counter stools, clad in an Edelman leather.

Photo: Nikolas Koenig

619

The eat-in kitchen of this Hamptons house features Hans J. Wegner chairs from Furniture from Scandinavia and a rug by Stark.

Photo: Michael Moran

719

The kitchen island in this traditional California home decorated by Miles Redd becomes a family table with the addition of counter-height seating.

Photo: Roger Davies

819

The breakfast area and kitchen of this New York home are outfitted with vintage Swedish pendant lamps from R 20th Century, Boffi cabinetry, a Gaggenau cooktop, and a Samsung television; the photograph is by Cindy Sherman.

Photo: Oberto Gili

919

In photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin’s New York loft, a set of rush-seat chairs by Charlotte Perriand surrounds a walnut dining table by Simrel Achenbach of Descience Laboratories. The kitchen cabinetry is bleached alder wood, and the wide-plank flooring is pine.

Photo: Simon Watson

1019

A Takashi Murakami work brightens the breakfast area of a Manhattan kitchen designed by David Kleinberg. The space has stainless-steel-and-milk-glass cabinetry and Calacatta gold marble counters and backsplashes. The pendant lights are by Poul Henningsen, and the sink fittings are by KWC.

Photo: Eric Piasecki

1119

Interior designer Madeline Stuart and architect David Lake collaborated on this Montana home. Lake|Flato designed the kitchen’s cabinetry, steel hood, and spacious island.

Photo: Joshua McHugh

1219

In the Hamptons, Peter Pennoyer Architects and designer Matthew Patrick Smyth delivered this brand-new house, including the cozy breakfast room with a custom-made banquette clad in a Lee Jofa suede, vintage bistro tables, and side chairs by Janus et Cie. A 19th-century French mirror from Marvin Alexander punctuates the space.

The garden-level kitchen in the New York home of retail maverick Laure Heriard Dubreuil and her artist husband, Aaron Young, features a 1960s dining set by Giuseppe Raimondi, which has been covered in child-friendly vinyl; the light fixture is by Blackman Cruz, the word painting is by Mel Bochner, and the “bullet hole” artwork is by Nate Lowman.

Photo: François Halard

1719

At a Maine compound by architect Les Cole and designer Suzanne Kasler, the poolhouse kitchen features Urban Archaeology pendant lights, a Thermador range, sink fittings by Michael S. Smith for Kallista, and counter stools from Walters; the Roman shade is made of a Jasper print, the backsplash is of Waterworks tile, and the walls are painted in a Benjamin Moore blue.

Photo: William Waldron

1819

Colorful backsplash tile by Heath Ceramics, pendant lights from Studio Van den Akker, and vintage stools enliven the kitchen of a Hamptons getaway by architect Annabelle Selldorf and designer Joe Nahem; the island is by Bulthaup, the range is by Wolf, the settee (dressed in a Holly Hunt leather) and the Corian table were custom designed, and the chairs from the Future Perfect are covered in a KnollTextiles fabric.

Photo: Pieter Estersohn

1919

In a Long Island home designed by architect David Hottenroth and decorator David Netto, tiles custom made by Tile Guild based on Gio Ponti designs animate the kitchen, which is appointed with pendant lights by Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co., a hood custom made by RangeCraft, a Sub-Zero refrigerator, a Wolf range, and a pair of BassamFellows tractor stools from Design Within Reach.